Breakdown of Í júlí og ágúst er borgin oft rólegri af því að margir eru í fríi.
vera
to be
í
in
og
and
af því að
because
Questions & Answers about Í júlí og ágúst er borgin oft rólegri af því að margir eru í fríi.
Why is er placed before borgin? Why isn’t it Í júlí og ágúst borgin er...?
This is because Icelandic normally follows a verb-second pattern in main clauses.
That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position of the sentence, no matter what comes first.
So in:
Í júlí og ágúst er borgin oft rólegri ...
- Í júlí og ágúst = the first element
- er = the finite verb, so it comes second
- borgin = the subject, which comes after the verb here
This is very common in Icelandic. If you start with a time phrase, place, or another element, the verb still usually stays in second position.
What does í júlí og ágúst mean grammatically? Is í really the same as English in here?
Yes, here í works much like English in, and the whole phrase means in July and August or during July and August.
In Icelandic, í is often used with months:
- í janúar = in January
- í júlí = in July
- í ágúst = in August
So í júlí og ágúst means that something happens during those months.
Why is it borgin and not just borg?